Should NATO be folded in favor of a European Union unified command?

[a completely inoffensive name]

You criticize Putin for being what you wish your president were.

I criticize Putin because I don't trust any man or woman who believes they should be the head of state for more than 12 years (two terms under Russia's const.)

Sure the Russian Constitution says you can be President as many times as you want as long as you have have no more than two consecutive terms, but this only highlights the point of how much of a joke Russian Democracy is.

[Pannonian]

I criticize Putin because I don't trust any man or woman who believes they should be the head of state for more than 12 years (two terms under Russia's const.)

Sure the Russian Constitution says you can be President as many times as you want as long as you have have more than two consecutive terms, but this only highlights the point of how much of a joke Russian Democracy is.

Are you aware that America's darling PM in the modern era won 3 general elections? Hang on. Are you aware that America's darling PMs in the modern era both won 3 general elections? That warmongering didn't get my vote in the last one though.

[a completely inoffensive name]

Are you aware that America's darling PM in the modern era won 3 general elections? Hang on. Are you aware that America's darling PMs in the modern era both won 3 general elections? That warmongering didn't get my vote in the last one though.

They are "darling" to Republican Neocons. Probably because both Thatcher and Blair are Diet Neocons themselves. It should be a huge tip to you Brits that the political philosophy that demonizes poor people has brought you two individuals that want as many terms as possible.

You guys should probably clamp down on that btw.

[Pannonian]

They are "darling" to Republican Neocons. Probably because both Thatcher and Blair are Diet Neocons themselves. It should be a huge tip to you Brits that the political philosophy that demonizes poor people has brought you two individuals that want as many terms as possible.

You guys should probably clamp down on that btw.

Or, if you approach it from the British POV, there is nothing intrinsically wrong with wanting as many terms as possible, as anyone going into politics will be of that frame of mind anyway, and we ask only that they do a good job when they're in power. And indeed, Blair, who is poison nowadays, voluntarily stepped down in the middle of his 3rd term. IIRC our first PM, Robert Walpole, served something like 20 years straight, and he probably did the best job of them all.

[Kadagar_AV]

Sweden has no laws against how long a PM can sit. I guess our democracy is WAY off then.

We also have a king, and he's kind of into it for life.

[Sarmatian]

Sweden has no laws against how long a PM can sit. I guess our democracy is WAY off then.

We also have a king, and he's kind of into it for life.

Ironically, most democracies around the world have the power concentrated into the hands of government and the prime minister himself and they don't have a term limit.

[a completely inoffensive name]

Not only that, Germany must have succumbed to fascism again long ago as Kohl chancellor for 4 terms or 16 years and Merkel is currently in her third term as well. I'm sorry that our democracy is not as great as your horribly corrupt basically-just-one-party-system.

Or, if you approach it from the British POV, there is nothing intrinsically wrong with wanting as many terms as possible, as anyone going into politics will be of that frame of mind anyway, and we ask only that they do a good job when they're in power. And indeed, Blair, who is poison nowadays, voluntarily stepped down in the middle of his 3rd term. IIRC our first PM, Robert Walpole, served something like 20 years straight, and he probably did the best job of them all.

coughRooseveltcough...

Good thing we clamped down and prohibited another one of him after he broke a tradition stemming from Washington.

Sweden has no laws against how long a PM can sit. I guess our democracy is WAY off then.

We also have a king, and he's kind of into it for life.

I mean, there is nothing much to say other than you guys are all doing it wrong. I am glad that no matter what, I will always be able to point at two different faces as the reason X decade was terrible.

[Husar]

We already overmatch Russia economically and militarily, just not in "boots on the ground".

I'm still not sure about that. Russia has some really good high-tech and a lot of their gear is underestimated. Other people have made that mistake before.

A authoritarian and nationalist philosophy, suborning religious and intellectual thought to the service of the State, persecution of minorities, regimented control of the economy.

A leader who deliberately fosters a quasi-cult of himself?

How is Russia not a Fascist state?

Nice try at the ad hominen, btw. I missed a letter out, big shocker for a Dyslexic writing in a foreign language.

I may have gone a bit too far there and sorry about the ad hominem.
I still find that western rhetoric colours him far worse than a lot of people in his own country see him. If Putin is that bad, Russians will find a way to get rid of him. But by giving him good outside excuses and funding NGOs that work against him, we are not helping.

Excuse, what excuse?

I'm not excusing anything, I'm pointing out that those two wars are very specific, one to a period in history and one to a single president. Both in the past.

There were enough wars by other presidents, regime changes, attempted regime changes etc.
That these things are historic is of little help when the current admins and large parts of the population seem to follow a very similar line.

As opposed to an army unable to deploy overseas because it is too integrated into civilian life and lacks mobile logistics?

Germans want Germany to take a more prominent role on the world stage but noone wants to do this by sending the army overseas.
As for capabilities, that stay-at-home army had more than 3000 tanks, the new one will have less than 300. You can roll over third world countries or the Netherlands with those but against a more competent opponent they're not enough.

Even when the British PM demanded MI5 not spy on someone, they did. As previously noted, the US has a plan to kill everyone. If you think Russia doesn't - well.

I think Russia does, but what's your point? That western intelligence has gone rogue and is uncontrollable?

that was not a moral judgement, or disrespectful - but he IS a Tyrant, he has manipulated the Russian polity and Constitution so that he, and only he, can be President, or Prime Minister, or Tsar.

Pretending otherwise at this point is a deliberate exercise in apologetics.

I agree that he is a power hungry muppet but IIRC he didn't need to manipulate a lot and he (his party) still got roughly 50% of the votes anyway. As Sarmatian said, the best course is probably to wait until the Russians deal with him themselves and realize that the West is not as antagonistic towards Russia as it currently actually is.

I mean, there is nothing much to say other than you guys are all doing it wrong. I am glad that no matter what, I will always be able to point at two different faces as the reason X decade was terrible.

I am glad that you enjoy your system of perpetual terribleness.

[Brenus]

“Then we are morally and legally obligated to defend it based on that treaty we signed back in the 1990s with them in exchange for their nukes” Nope, the Treaty does not say that. The text is above, somewhere, read it.
And the Treaty signed by Ukraine and Russia allowed Russia to have troops.

Anyway, I even don’t know why I am saying this. USA and EU just sit on Treaties and International Borders when it suits them.
I could stop laughing when Obama said “it is illegal”…

[Hax]

I think Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania would be somewhat worried if NATO broke up.

Poland is somewhat too much EU-back garden for Russia to dare attack anytime soon though.

This.

The situation in Ukraine spells trouble for the Baltic states, whose relationship with Russia have been strained since the break-up of the Soviet Union; if the Russian government is able to invade other countries on the pretext of "defending the Russian minority", then I worry thinking about cities like Daugavpils (Latvia) or Narva Estonia). Although I'm skeptical of Russia's interest in the Baltic states (they're not too strategically important anymore), there has been an increasing tendency in the Russian government to expand its influence.

[Kadagar_AV]

This.

The situation in Ukraine spells trouble for the Baltic states, whose relationship with Russia have been strained since the break-up of the Soviet Union; if the Russian government is able to invade other countries on the pretext of "defending the Russian minority", then I worry thinking about cities like Daugavpils (Latvia) or Narva Estonia). Although I'm skeptical of Russia's interest in the Baltic states (they're not too strategically important anymore), there has been an increasing tendency in the Russian government to expand its influence.

I don't know if I read you right, but I honestly give it a snowballs chance in hell that Putin will mess with NATO countries.

Putin might be many things, but stupid isn't among them.

[Husar]

I criticize Putin because I don't trust any man or woman who believes they should be the head of state for more than 12 years (two terms under Russia's const.)

Sure the Russian Constitution says you can be President as many times as you want as long as you have have no more than two consecutive terms, but this only highlights the point of how much of a joke Russian Democracy is.

Are you aware that America's darling PM in the modern era won 3 general elections? Hang on. Are you aware that America's darling PMs in the modern era both won 3 general elections? That warmongering didn't get my vote in the last one though.

Not only that, Germany must have succumbed to fascism again long ago as Kohl chancellor for 4 terms or 16 years and Merkel is currently in her third term as well. I'm sorry that our democracy is not as great as your horribly corrupt basically-just-one-party-system.

[Sarmatian]

I criticize Putin because I don't trust any man or woman who believes they should be the head of state for more than 12 years (two terms under Russia's const.)

Then you must really hate Britain. Lizzy's been at it for how long now?

Sure the Russian Constitution says you can be President as many times as you want as long as you have have no more than two consecutive terms, but this only highlights the point of how much of a joke Russian Democracy is.

coughRooseveltcough...


Anyway, the best way to deal with Putin is to leave him alone. In a poll conducted a few months ago, more than 50% of Russians said they wouldn't like to see him as the president again.

In all this hiatus, unrelenting against western pressure, he got 10 or 20% more support...